Teacher of the Year - Be an Ambassador for Teachers

New York State Board of Regents Names 2018 Teacher of the Year

Christopher Albrecht

“Once a student finds joy in learning, the ripples of our work will be felt for their lifetime. As the New York State Teacher of the Year, I applaud all the teachers in our state that work hard to help students fall in love with learning.” -Christopher Albrecht

The New York State Board of Regents announced on September 12, 2017 that Christopher Albrecht has been named the 2018 New York State Teacher of the Year. Albrecht is a 4th grade teacher at Fred W. Hill School in the Brockport Central School District.

Congratulations to the Finalists for the 2018 New York State Teacher of the Year:
• Brian Sztabnik, an English and Advanced Placement Literature and Composition teacher at Milller Place High School in the Miller Place Union Free School District;
• Rosa Ismail, an English as a New Language teacher for Kindergarten through 3rd grade students at Fort Salonga Elementary School in the Kings Park School District;
• Mary Howard, an English Language Arts and social studies teacher at Veronica E. Connor Middle School in the Grand Island Central School District; and
• Christina Pawlowski, a New York State Master Teacher who teaches Advanced Placement and college level mathematics at Commack High School in the Commack School District.

New York State recognizes and celebrates the exceptionally skilled and passionate educators who exist in every school in the State. The purpose of the New York State Teacher of the Year program is to:

Support the development of programs throughout the State that recognize great teachers in their schools;

Engage exemplary teachers in professional development by completing the New York State Teacher of the Year application; and

Identify and celebrate one teacher per year as the New York State Teacher of the Year who will represent all of New York State teachers at events throughout the State and at national events with Teachers of the Year from across the United States.

“NYSUT continues to be a strong supporter of the New York State Teacher of the Year program. This unique collaboration with the State Education Department provides proper recognition of the importance of the teaching profession. We are pleased to see SED's continued recognition of the Teacher of the Year Program by their inclusion on the Commissioner’s Teacher Advisory Council. In keeping with tradition, NYSUT will promote the program among our members and recognize this year's recipient at a General Session of our Representative Assembly.”
-Jolene DiBrango, NYSUT Executive Vice President

Who is a Teacher of the Year?

A Teacher of the Year is a skilled professional who has demonstrated excellence in the classroom and in the community. This teacher is respected by colleagues and all stakeholders in education.

At all levels, the Teacher of the Year is also the face and voice of exemplary educators. As a representative of the profession, this leader is asked to engage and inspire other teachers and community leaders.

At the state level, the New York State Teacher of the Year represents excellence and speaks for 220,000 New York State public school teachers by engaging in presentations, attending meetings, and participating in professional development at local, state and national levels.

While all of these qualifications are considered, the most important one is the superior ability to inspire learning in students of all backgrounds and competencies

NYSED Commissioner, Board of Regents Chancellor, Board of Regents Vice Chancellor, Board of Regents members, and NYSUT Vice President with newly named 2018 Teacher of the Year and finalists following the Board of Regents Announcement outside the State Education Building in Albany, NY.

New York State (NYS) wishes to recognize and celebrate an exceptionally skilled and passionate educator to be an ambassador for NYS teachers and to serve as the NYS nominee for the National Teacher of the Year Program.

The New York State Teachers of the Year and/or their schools are supported by New York State United Teachers (NYSUT), New York State Congress of Parents and Teachers, Inc. (NYS PTA), New York State Association for Supervision & Curriculum Development (NYSASCD), the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO), Voya Financial, the SMART Technologies, and Educational Testing Service (ETS).

The New York State Teacher of the Year Program, now in its 48th year, is administered by the New York State Education Department. It is affiliated with the National Teacher of the Year program administered through the Council of Chief State School Officers and sponsored by leading education associations. Teacher of the Year is the oldest and most prestigious teacher recognition activity in the nation.

Celebrate and recognize the outstanding teaching that takes place in classrooms throughout New York and nominate a teacher!

A teacher may be initially nominated by any person within the school or community including parents, students, business leaders, school administrators, or colleagues using the nomination form. The formal nomination should involve a collaborative decision-making process indicating the support of all the groups concerned with the quality of teaching within a school. A complete application including letters of support is submitted for each nominee. Support from the school community may include approximately 30 days of release time to fulfill the obligations of the Teacher of the Year.

The individuals selected to serve as State Teachers of the Year will be the ambassadors for the teaching profession across New York State and will lead by their passion for teaching.

The New York State Teacher of the Year is provided with numerous professional development opportunities. In addition, schools and districts may also experience several of the other benefits of the Teacher of the Year Program, such as:

day of honor and learning for the New York State Teacher of the Year;

information and technical support for principals about how to prepare and support excellent teachers;

visit by the Commissioner of Education in the classroom and school of the New York State Teacher of the Year;

coaching for other teachers on instructional approaches;

every student, teacher, and parent in every school in the State will know that their school has exemplary teachers who are recognized for their craft; and

meet the President of the United States.

"During my year as the 2011 NYSTOY I engaged in the most powerful
professional development possible. I spent four weeks working and growing
with the state teachers of the year from across the country and had dozens
of opportunities to speak to and with educational leaders and with
educational stakeholder agencies. It has changed my life and my practice forever.”